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Book Review
May. 9th, 2009 09:31 pmTipping the Velvet
by Sarah Waters
This is Sarah Waters' debut novel. It is set in the 1890s Britain and concerns the coming-of-age of Nancy Astley, a working-class girl from Kent. A fan of music halls, Nancy falls in love with Kitty Butler, a male impersonator who has a run at the Canterbury music hall that Nancy frequents. Kitty hires Nancy as her dresser and takes her to London, where they become lovers and Nancy eventually joins the act as a cross-dressing performer. However, Kitty is afraid and ashamed of her sexual orientation and she breaks Nancy's heart as a result of her intense desire to keep their relationship hidden. Adrift in London, Nancy's life becomes alternately roguish and sordid until she finds her place in the world with a true and healthy relationship and a community of her fellows.
Waters does an excellent job evoking the underside of late-Victorian London and of creating fascinating and lively characters. I also think Waters does an amazingly subtle thing with Nancy's various relationships. Her first two show the ways in which society's imposition of its own mis-perceptions on same-sex relationships has a destructive and warping effect. The third relationship demonstrates how only the ability to be open and unashamed can create a truly healthy and loving relationship.
Also, Tipping the Velvet is a really fun and sexy read.
by Sarah Waters
This is Sarah Waters' debut novel. It is set in the 1890s Britain and concerns the coming-of-age of Nancy Astley, a working-class girl from Kent. A fan of music halls, Nancy falls in love with Kitty Butler, a male impersonator who has a run at the Canterbury music hall that Nancy frequents. Kitty hires Nancy as her dresser and takes her to London, where they become lovers and Nancy eventually joins the act as a cross-dressing performer. However, Kitty is afraid and ashamed of her sexual orientation and she breaks Nancy's heart as a result of her intense desire to keep their relationship hidden. Adrift in London, Nancy's life becomes alternately roguish and sordid until she finds her place in the world with a true and healthy relationship and a community of her fellows.
Waters does an excellent job evoking the underside of late-Victorian London and of creating fascinating and lively characters. I also think Waters does an amazingly subtle thing with Nancy's various relationships. Her first two show the ways in which society's imposition of its own mis-perceptions on same-sex relationships has a destructive and warping effect. The third relationship demonstrates how only the ability to be open and unashamed can create a truly healthy and loving relationship.
Also, Tipping the Velvet is a really fun and sexy read.
